I was with Kinoko a little while back and we got to discussing westerners doing kinbaku. I was saying whilst it’s nice to accessorise our shows with beautiful Japanese elements, e.g. kimonos etc., I think there’s a line between doing this and the whole ‘kimono boy’ (those who try to be more Japanese than the Japanese) thing which must look faintly ridiculous to the Japanese (think Dick Van Dyke as a Cockney in Mary Poppins).[private] When I said I felt it was more real/genuine to add our culture to kinbaku rather than to try to add one which is not ours, his face lit up. It seems this is something he heartily approves of. He very much liked my English slant on schoolgirl bondage at LFAJRB 2010. However, I was quite surprised when he said it was very Japanese! It thought it was anything but. When, I quizzed him on this he said it was in my movements. It looks like some of Osada Steve’s tips on performance technique must have sunk into the old grey matter somewhere along the line.
So, maybe we should be looking at putting more of our own culture into our work? Kinoko, whilst his LFAJRB shows in 2010 were very traditional, certainly isn’t afraid of breaking out of the stereotypical as anyone who has seen his cyber show will know. I wonder what Akechi Osada would make of his UV ropes, smoke and lasers? There’s no doubt kinbaku is evolving and it has come a long way since Akechi Osada pioneered performance kinbaku. I’m all for change so long as it represents progress and not a dilution or corruption of the special essence of kinbaku.[/private]